Oriented on making people closer

The Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Belgium Sapar Palvanov met on Wednesday with the leadership of the famous NGO “Flower Carpet of Brussels”.

...Every 2 years in Brussels, in the central square of Grand Place, you can see a huge carpet of fresh flowers. This tradition began in August 1971, when gardeners first laid out flowers on the paving stones of the main square for the Flower Carpet Festival.

The current meeting at the Turkmen diplomatic mission in the Belgian capital could be the beginning of a new art project: during the conversation, the possibility of decorating the famous Brussels Carpet of Flowers with traditional patterns of Turkmen carpets, which is a spectacle that has captivated the world for more than half a century, was considered.

As Palvanov noted, “carpets of Turkmenistan are not just textiles, they are a kind of colorful story of ornaments woven into the fabric of national identity and history.”

The ambassador illustrated his words with a demonstration of carpet products, telling his interlocutors about their symbolism, the meaning of certain details of the design and composition, the huge cultural context of Turkmen carpet weaving in general, which was further emphasized by the fact of the existence of a National Carpet Holiday in our country. This ancient art form has gained global recognition with UNESCO adding traditional Turkmen carpet weaving to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019.

The leaders of the Brussels Flower Carpet festival, in turn, also spoke about their flagship event, each edition of which can be attributed to floral masterpieces created against the backdrop of the Grand Place architectural ensemble, which is a

UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important tourist attractions of the city.

Held here every two years in August, the Flower Carpet Festival is a creative installation of more than 400 thousand flowers, where begonias and dahlias create a living picture measuring 1,680 square meters.

Each event celebrates a specific theme with original music and an evening sound and light show. The carpet is assembled by one hundred volunteers in less than six hours - a true testament to the consolidation of community efforts.

Past editions of the festival have covered various topics, including those related to the artistic and cultural identity of countries such as France, Mexico, Japan, Turkey, India and others.

So, the “Flower Carpet of Brussels” is not just a botanical show, it is also a bridge connecting cultures, histories and peoples.

The proposed idea to create the next floral carpet of Brussels in the form of a Turkmen classic carpet intrigued the festival leaders, first of all, with the luxurious beauty and strict harmony of Turkmen ornamentation. In their opinion, such a floral design will connect the spirit of Central Asia with the heart of Europe.

It is also another way to promote Turkmen culture internationally, as the Brussels Carpet has an impressive reach of over 65 million through the Belgian media and millions of tourists flock to the kingdom's capital to witness this magnificent spectacle.

A bright, lush, blooming chronicle of the Turkmen heritage will create an original composition with the Gothic lace of the buildings of the Grand Place, turning it into a gateway to the steppes of Central Asia.

ORIENT news

Photo: courtesy of the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Belgium